Ginkgo ( Ginkgo biloba ) is a plant of the Ginkgoaceae family. Besides being useful against diabetes and allergies, it is also used to fight Alzheimer's disease . Let's find out better.
Properties of ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo biloba leaves contain terpenes, (ginkgolide B) that block lipid peroxidation, implicated in platelet aggregation. These active ingredients, in fact, inhibit the platelet activation factor (PAF), preventing the formation of thrombi in the blood vessels; and decrease capillary permeability, improving tissue spraying.
Polyphenols and flavonoids (ginketol, isiginketol, bilabetol, ginkolide) act on cell membranes, stabilizing them and counteracting the formation of free radicals. This antiplatelet property makes it particularly suitable for avoiding the rejection of transplanted organs, useful under strict medical supervision in case of emboli, responsible for heart attacks and some apoplexy.
Particularly known for its activity on the venous, arterial and capillary circulation, the plant is also widely used as a blood thinner, because it reduces its viscosity, in the prevention of thrombi, and heart attacks. For this property, ginkgo also helps the oxygenation and nourishment of tissues, with beneficial effects, in particular, on the blood circulation of brain tissues.
In fact, due to its ability to promote a correct distribution of oxygen and glucose to the brain, it increases mental acuity, concentration, short-term memory, and cognitive faculties: it is particularly suitable for students . Numerous studies have also shown that the use of ginkgo counteracts the phenomena of atherosclerosis in the elderly and slows the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
Its active ingredients also make it a powerful remedy against allergies: it is a vasodilator of the arteries, while in the veins it has a vasoconstrictor action, so it is recommended in asthma attacks. Furthermore favoring a more efficient peripheral circulation is recommended in the treatment of chilblains at the ends, due to the cold; and it is also used in cases of tinnitus (ringing in the ears), dizziness, intermittent pain in the legs, and headache.
The vasoprotective property is given by the plant's ability to improve the tone and elasticity of the walls of veins, arteries and capillaries, and therefore it is recommended in the treatment of neuropathies caused by diabetes, in macular degeneration of the retina, and other circulatory problems, such as hemorrhoids, varicose veins and capillary fragility.
Ginkgo biloba is finally considered a scavenger (scavenger) of free radicals . This feature makes it an excellent antioxidant, because it activates cellular metabolism and protects the brain and nervous system from damage caused by free radicals, and this can help counteract the effects of aging.
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Method of use
INFUSION : 1 tablespoon ginkgo leaves, 1 cup of water
Pour the leaves into the boiling water and turn off the heat. Cover and leave to infuse for 10 min. Filter the infusion and drink it away from meals to take advantage of the anti-inflammatory action for the benefit of the circulatory system.
Ginkgo mother tincture : 30-40 gc to be taken in the morning
800- mg dry extract in tablets or capsules in the morning
Contraindications of gingko
Contraindicated in pregnancy and lactation, administer with caution in patients taking concomitantly anticoagulants, blood thinners and antiplatelet agents, MAO inhibitors and NSAIDs or acetylsalicylic acid.
During the period of intake it is good to avoid exposure to the sun and / or tanning lamps, because photosensitizing .
Description of the plant
Tree (30-40 m.) With broad, pyramidal crown in the young plants and oval in the older specimens. The bark is smooth and silver in young plants, it becomes gray-brownish to dark brown and has a cracked texture in mature specimens.
It has deciduous leaves, long petiolate with a pale green color, which in autumn take on a very decorative yellow color, with a typical fan-shaped, bilobed shape.
Ginkgo is a gymnosperm and for this reason it does not present flowers as we usually understand them, but it has structures called cones or strobili or, as in this case, modified scales. It is a dioecious plant that means that it carries fertile male and female separate structures on different plants. The fruits (of which the embryo is edible after roasting) are covered by a fleshy, pruinose, yellow casing, with an unpleasant smell when ripe.
Properties of ginkgolides, principles extracted from Ginkgo biloba
The ginkgo habitat
It is native to China, in which fossils have been found that date back to the Mesozoic era, and to Japan. Today ginkgo biloba is widespread in the temperate areas of the planet, as an ornamental park plant and as a city avenue; just for this purpose it was introduced in Europe in the mid-eighteenth century.
Historical enni
The term "ginkgo" comes from the Japanese Yin-kuo, which means " golden apricot" ; " biloba " refers instead to the shape of the leaf, with 2 lobes. It is considered a legendary tree more than 250 million years old and has withstood the worst pollution of the twentieth century and in particular the remains of the Hiroshima atomic bomb.
The ginkgo, in addition to being considered the oldest tree on Earth, is also one of the most long - lived, since it can reach 1000 years. No wonder, then, that in Japan it is considered a sacred tree, often present in the vicinity of the temples. For this reason it is believed that the species has been preserved thanks to the cultivation carried out by Chinese monks to decorate places of worship.
